LOST AND FOUND
Suggested Reading: Luke 19
(click scripture link to read online)
This is a model of the Temple from the time of Jesus, where it was situated on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. Today, a Muslim mosque, known as the Dome of the Rock (seen in the background), is located on that same Temple Mount.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Luke 19:10
…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Why did Jesus come to earth? To teach? To heal? To set a fine example? Yes, to all these things. But His top priority is to seek and to save all who are lost! He seeks for us by His Holy Spirit and by the power of His Word which is proclaimed in the Gospels and which we share every day. His God-sized death on the cross is big enough to save all of us from eternal death. Jesus was seeking the lost from the beginning of His public ministry. He found some mending their nets, another at the tax collector’s desk, others going about their business in Galilee, Zacchaeus up a tree in Jericho, and now, He has found you and me. Jesus has not changed. The difference is that He seeks the lost through us. We cannot save anyone, but we can bring precious lost people to Jesus, pray with them, give them Jesus’ Word, and He will save them.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, I thank You for those who found me and introduced me to You. Thank You for Your Words which were given to me, “The one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). I believed Your Words and I know You cannot lie. You do not cast me out. Therefore, You receive me. Help me today, and every day, to do for others what was done for me. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
As a boy, the game known as “hide and seek” was a favourite. Can you remember the exitement of the search and the joy of discovering the hiding place of a friend. My first effort at serious seeking the lost involved creating a hockey team in the 100-people community of Haley’s Station in the Ottawa Valley where my Dad was a minister. I was 17 then. The men created an outdoor rink every winter. I pulled together several boys, offered to buy hockey sweaters with the name “Haley’s Comets” splashed across them. We formed a league with 3 other small villages and played several games. My main motive was not to win at hockey, but rather to win my friends to Christ. I arranged to take the team to the nearby city of Ottawa to hear Evangelist Hyman Appleman. That night, after the Evangelist and I found these young men, they went forward and Jesus saved them as they believed His Words. The next Sunday, my Dad’s church had a row of teens sitting at the front, worshipping God. Since that time, my greatest thrill is in finding creative ways to bring the lost to Jesus.
Yours for stimulating initiatives to help Jesus find the lost, and save each one,
David
The greatest gift one can receive is Jesus. By allowing the Holy Spirit into your life to guide and direct your path, there is no greater joy to behold. David, I love the story about how God worked in your life to fill the front pew at your father’s church! God can work in our lives in very creative ways!
Thank you, David, for sharing such a great example of leading others to Christ.
Here’s to guiding the lost sheep to our Lord so they might be saved by His forgiveness, grace and love.
All for the glory of Jesus!
Naming your hockey team “Haley’s Comets” …. you definitely have an affinity for God’s universe, David! My mother took us to church every Sunday and I was an alter boy. Father Harding was like a father to me. Of course, your life has been an inspiration for many years as have other Christians whom have shared openly and non- judgementally. It is my prayer I have touched other lives in ways I do not know. Just “being there” and being attentive, “showing up” so to speak, sends the real message about who we are and our love for Christ. By the way, there is a harvest moon off the horizon on the morning of September 29th. Hope the sky’s are clear!
David
My prayer is the same as yours
I love your story it is good example.
God Bless you
Lianne Hogg
I love the initiative of the hockey team with the “goal” of winning the young men to Christ. I love your heart for the lost. Every time I hear a story of someone’s life in a mess, I immediately wonder how it got that way, and how I could in someway be an influence in helping them come to know the one who can straighten it out. Thank you for your faithfulness in sharing these inspirational thoughts and stories on this blog. I know it can’t be easy sometimes to just keep on keeping on. Blessings to you.